Punjab caretaker CM refuses proposal to light up Lahore for PSL
Naqvi refuses to invest Rs800 million in Lahore's lighting. The administration of the city suggests putting big lights in Lahore for PSL. In Lahore, there will be eight matches.
LAHORE: During the eighth edition of the Pakistan Supre League 2023, the interim chief minister of Punjab, Mohsin Naqvi, refused to pay Rs80 million for the installation of lights in Lahore.
This is important because there are eight PSL games in Lahore, and the district administration proposed setting up big lights in Lahore, especially on the route where PSL teams are expected to move. The meeting was led by Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
Sources said that the Punjab government had spent Rs60 crores on this in the previous PSL (2022), but this time, Punjab Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi refused to direct the release of Rs80 crores for lighting the provincial capital.
Senior officials, including the IGP, commissioner, and others, attended the meeting on Monday to review the PSL arrangements and team security. It was presided over by Mohsin Naqvi.
During the meeting, the primary topic that came up was the team’s security. Sources said that officials from the Punjab government came up with the idea of putting big lights up in different parts of the city as a response to a request from the PCB.
But the CM didn’t like the idea and didn’t give the money to the Punjab government.
The caretaker chief minister had also pledged, in a press conference earlier in the day, to prioritize addressing the price hike and other public complaints in accordance with his constitutional authority.
An official who is close to the CM’s circle says that the province is also having problems with its economy, so it’s not right to spend so much public money on lights.
PCB still owes the Lahore Waste Management Company (LWMC), according to sources. When The News got in touch with Chairman Najam Sethi of the Pakistan Cricket Board, he informed The News that the PCB had not made such a request to the Punjab government. He stated that the state was responsible for ensuring the safety of both individuals and visiting teams. He asserted that the PCB had previously paid for the Punjab government’s security, and that the current IGP had done an admirable job in this regard, contributing significantly to the team’s safety. On the PSL arrangements, the big three office-holders from Punjab and Sindh, including their current chief ministers, chief secretaries, and IGPs, have worked extremely well with the PCB. Najam also praised the interior ministry and security agencies for working together on PSL issues.
